Close Encounter
by Todd's Pet
Summary: I've re-visited the self defense class, changing it from 3rd person present to 1st person past and more than tripling the word count. No graphic sex but I think it's steamier and a big improvement... see what you think...


Every girl should have a wraith as a personal trainer…

I watched him closely from my position at the back of the class. I really didn't want to be here and I'd timed my arrival; not too early in case the tutor was already there and not too late so that I could take my place at the back of the class, out of the line of sight. I'd never been the sporty type and, as a member of the medics team I didn't think I needed to be all that physically fit, but my CO demanded that we all participate in something at least three times every week. The gym bored me rigid and I never saw the point in running – especially in a city surrounded in water where there was nowhere to run to anyway. I'd done one or two kick-boxing sessions with the girls back home, so I'd put my name down for this martial arts class, thinking that at least I'd remember the basics.

Seems I was wrong. For one thing, as I stood looking around myself I could see that everyone here was deadly serious and way more practiced than I was. I was most definitely out of my depth. For another thing, I hadn't known the class was going to be led by a wraith. I'd seen a few of them around Atlantis since they took the retrovirus _en masse_ last year and had started to send their scientists here to the city to work with ours. But I'd never seen one up close, so to speak, and I couldn't say I was exactly looking forward to it. They unnerved me, the few that I'd already seen.

This one swept into the room three minutes late, his long white hair and long black coat breezing behind him as he strode into the room with the most arrogant air I had ever seen from any man, human or otherwise. It ought to have repelled me instantly but for some reason I couldn't explain, he fascinated me and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

Surveying the humans in the room with a disdainful gleam in his liquid gold reptile eyes, all he had to do was take his coat off and I was instantly mesmerised. The tight sleeveless shirt he wore underneath showed off his lean and toned physique to perfection and I watched entranced at how his biceps bulged when he lifted his arms to tie his long, smooth hair out of the way in a ponytail that hung down his back as far as his waist. How many human guys would have the nerve to wear their hair like that, I thought, let alone have the panache to carry it off?

As the thought seeped into my awareness, I suddenly realised that I was actually attracted to him! Moreover, I was astounded that this was what had been unnerving me so much about wraith in general, although this one in particular was having a more profound effect on me.

As he put our class through its paces I admired the way his athletic frame demonstrated the fighting moves with a grace and agility I've never seen in any human, no matter how fit they were. Watching how the sheen of sweat on his skin made its pale colour take on a translucent quality, as if he were carved from fine-grained jade, I could see that even the overtly alien greenish shade of that skin was strangely attractive. So much so that I was all too aware that the distraction of him had made my own movements far from co-ordinated, let alone graceful.

A class that I had feared would be interminably tedious was unexpectedly over all too soon and the wraith dismissed his students before he abruptly snapped a towel from the rail on the wall and began to mop his face and shoulders with it. Somewhat reluctantly I shuffled toward the door, trying to hide myself among my colleagues as I went.

"You. Remain behind."

My eyes widened fearfully when it struck me that the wraith had addressed that command to me. The contrast between his earlier barked orders to the class and this rich and multi-toned voice, pitched lower and directed solely at me, sent delicious shivers down my spine and I had to reach out for the wall bar to make sure my legs didn't give way. Trying to pretend I hadn't noticed, I continued to head for the exit, but he put his arm across the doorway and drew me aside. I was ridiculously conscious of the heat of his hand on the bare skin of my arm.

"Remain," he repeated, as he flung the towel across his shoulder.

I pointed to myself tentatively. "Me?" I asked, then instantly berated myself mentally – God, could I have managed to say anything more ludicrously banal?

"Yes, you," he repeated, as if he were speaking to a dullard – but then again, if this was an example of your average wraith I could understand why they considered themselves superior – quite simply, they were.

I've never been the most socially skilled person around but this mysterious and incredibly beautiful creature was reducing me to an inarticulate wreck. By the time the room was empty of all but the two of us, I was so nervous I could barely speak and when I did finally manage to string a few words together, I felt it would've been better if I hadn't bothered. "I'm sorry, have I done something wrong?" I said, screaming silently inside my head to damn-well stand up for myself and stop being such a blithering idiot.

"Apology is unnecessary. You need more practice. One-on-one."

The wraith was nothing if not direct, I thought, but all I could manage to utter was, "Oh."

Realising there was no way out of this, I felt uncomfortable being alone with this disturbingly attractive alien man… I caught myself wondering if he even was a man at all, but then realised such thoughts were leading me somewhere I thought I most definitely did not want to go – that way lay complications, entanglements and, most likely, insanity.

Just when I thought my discomfort could not have gotten any worse, he turned his back on me and flung the towel aside, then pulled his shirt up over his head and off, throwing it to join the towel on the floor. He proceeded to give me the most fabulous view of the long and lean muscles in his back when he reached up again and untied his hair. And that spine! Sure I'd heard the rumours about how wraith have bony ridges running down their spines, but nothing prepared me for the reality, up close, mere inches from my twitching fingers that threatened to betray me by reaching out to touch those ridges that rippled down the length of his back as his shoulder blades rose and fell with his arms.

Unexpectedly, he spun around to face me and I didn't have time to disguise the startled look I knew my face wore. His hair flew loose around his shoulders, smooth and shining and looking as soft as pure spun silk. Two braids in the front swatted against his bare, nipple-less chest – the rumours were true! – then settled to hang down his torso, pointing tantalisingly towards the belt of his pants. Mortified, I realised I'd been staring openly at him below the belt and, flushing deep pink, I looked up – straight into a pair of deep amber eyes that were sparkling with mischief.

"Tackle me," he said.

I simply stared. "What?" Here I go again with the witty repartee, I groaned inwardly.

"Just make a grab for me, woman!" he said impatiently, and yet smiling and clearly amused by my embarrassment. That couldn't have riled me more if it had been a direct challenge; I pushed my shoulders back, squared myself in his direction, narrowed my eyes and told myself, _Okay, I'll show you!_ I lunged towards his solar plexus with the flat of my hand; he neatly side-stepped me, grabbing my wrist with his hand and twisting my arm round as he turned. Realising what he'd done, I simply twisted back the way I'd come, taking the wraith's arm with me. As I twisted him round I hooked my foot around the back of his ankle and kicked. Caught off-guard and off-balance, the wraith fell to the floor. Hard.

"Sorry," I said and kicked myself mentally. Why do I always open my mouth before I put my brain in gear?

"Stop apologising, woman!"

The wraith's remonstration was no harder than I was already giving myself and, seeing I was thus distracted, he grabbed his opening – he let go of my wrist, untwisted his arm and snapped his elbow hard against the back of my thigh, all so lightening fast that I didn't know what had happened until I hit the mat. I even let out an 'oomph' sound as my knees took the full brunt of my own weight. But before he could complete his advantage, I rolled over onto my side, quickly righted myself back on to my feet and took a running leap at him.

He spun as he saw my none-too-subtle approach, kicking his leg out as he went so that I missed my target. The wraith did not. Just as I turned to place where he was his foot made contact with my right shoulder, I stumbled forward under the impact, and a two swift steps brought him right into my path. Wrapping his arm around my neck and easily flicking my feet out from under me, he slammed me down onto my back on the mat. The impact winded me so much that it disorientated me for several seconds, although no sooner had I made contact with the floor than I felt him swiftly switch position.

When I finally caught my breath and looked up, he was sitting astride my waist, his hands pinning my wrists to the mat. He rocked forward from his hips, leaning over me, his face so close I could feel his breath warm on my cheek and his soft hair sweep across the bare skin of my chest above the scoop neck of my tee.

"Game, set and match to me, I think," he grinned.

Now I knew for certain I was out of my depth – and I knew, too, that it wasn't the unaccustomed physical exercise that was making my breath come in short, ragged gasps. This up close and personal the disconcerting effect this wraith had on me was painfully evident. I found it difficult to hold his gaze and turned my head, but he merely leaned further over until the glittering yellow diamonds of his eyes caught mine again, pale and insipid grey in comparison to his, which were sparkling with amusement at my predicament.

As he turned his face in towards mine, his hair brushed my cheek; the length of it lying across my collar bones, and where it touched my skin tingled, making me wonder how I would react to his hands if this was the effect of just his hair. As if he'd read my mind, his grip on my wrists loosened and he ran the palms of his hands slowly up the inside of my arms, watching my face for my reaction. I bit my bottom lip with my teeth, bringing a broad smile to his face. Good grief, could his face get any more beautiful than it already was?

By the time his hands had swept up my arms, tantalising, and no doubt deliberately close to my breasts, over my shoulders and up my neck, I was surprised I hadn't drawn blood from my lip, and where before I hadn't been able to hold his gaze, now I couldn't tear my eyes away from his, as if those snake-like eyes had me hypnotised and held in his thrall.

Finally his hands were still when he held my face between them, the heat of his palms burning into my cheeks, his grasp firm so there was nowhere I could turn when he lowered his head to mine with deliberate, teasing slowness. Dimwit that I was, I didn't realise his intention until his lips were barely millimetres from mine, and the sudden realisation made me gasp sharply, catching the sweetness of his breath into the back of my throat until it seemed I could taste him before our lips touched. I must have held my breath the whole time he kissed me – softer and gentler than I would ever have imagined a wraith could be – because when he finally lifted his head I was so dizzy I was grateful to be lying flat on my back on the floor.

With a self-satisfied expression that indicated he was happy with his day's work, he sat back upright, his weight shifting across my hips in a most unsettling manner and filling my head with the kind of images that made me hope the rumours of wraith telepathy were grossly exaggerated.

With a swiftness and agility that took me by surprise, he swung one leg around and straightened the other so that he was suddenly upright in one smooth, graceful movement. As he stood looking down at me with that beguilingly amused expression, I swore inwardly, wondering how the hell I was going to get myself upright in a way that even remotely approached graceful. But he held his hand out to me so I took it, and he pulled me upright as if I weighed nothing at all. The ease with which he lifted me swept me into his arms with a momentum I couldn't stop. I snatched my breath again when my body only came to a halt because it had come up hard and close against his and I felt him wrap his arms around my back, holding me there firmly.

This time he brushed his lips across my neck and lightly nipped the lobe of my ear between his sharp, pointed teeth before he whispered, "Three forty-two, tower three, south pier." I twisted my head around to look him in the eye – if this was a wraith's idea of sweet nothings it was alien indeed, but his face broke into a broad grin and he added, "My room, tonight, twenty-one hundred."

He let go of me, stooping to retrieve his shirt and towel, throwing both over his shoulder before he turned toward the door. He paused at the exit and looked back at me, his sensual lips curling into the most deliciously wicked grin that actually made my toes curl. "You need regular personal training. Don't be late." And with that he breezed out into the hallway, leaving me standing there alone, and my head spinning.

It took only a few seconds, however, for me to galvanise myself into action and I quickly covered the floor to where, in my haste to leave the class earlier, I'd forgotten my backpack and water bottle, left at the back of the class. With trembling hands I pulled out a notebook and pen and scribbled, _342, 3, S, 21:00_ – not that I was ever likely to forget it, but I wasn't taking any chances. After all, it was my CO who'd insisted I get some exercise – and I had a feeling this was going to be the kind of exercise I would actually enjoy doing at least three times a week!


End file.
